Bar-B-Cutie is a Tennessee based chain that first opened in 1950. The McFarland family purchased the original Nashville Bar-B-Cutie in 1958 and have expanded the business into a franchise with 17 restaurants in the United States and Europe. The chain's bold tagline reads "The World's Best Barbecue Since 1950!"

We stopped at the Bar-B-Cutie in Marietta, OH on our return trip from Michigan. We pulled into the parking lot around 6:00 on Saturday evening. The parking lot was relatively empty which made me a bit apprehensive. The good "Q" joints in NC are usually packed to the max during dinner time, especially on the weekends.

Bar-B-Cutie is set up like a typical fast food joint. Orders can be placed at the counter in the front of the store. Katie and I placed our orders and took a number to our table. Our food was delivered promptly.

I ordered the Bar-B-Cutie Sampler ($9.99) that consisted of pulled pork, sliced brisket and babyback ribs. The platter also included one side (okra) and Texas toast. For the price tag, the serving size was pretty solid. The brisket portion, in particular, was substantial.

Though I was happy with the size of the platter, I immediately noticed that something was missing....a smoke ring. All three meats were a slightly unappetizing gray color. None of them possessed the tell tale pink ring that makes authentic BBQ easy to spot. I was slightly disappointed, but not surprised. When we'd first arrived in the parking lot, it was pretty apparent that no meat was being smoked on the premisis.
The ribs (2 bones) were tender and fairly moist. They were sauced with Bar-B-Cutie's "Sweet" sauce. The ribs were well cooked, but had very little flavor aside from the sauce. The brisket, too, was cooked just about right. It was lean, but tender and sliced to the appropriate thickness. Sadly, it also lacked flavor. The pulled pork was moist and shredded easily, but tasted as if it hadn't been seasoned at all.

Bar-B-Cutie features four house sauces; Mild, Sweet, Hot and Carolina (Mustard). Each sauce was adequate, but none of them stood out. I did, however, use quite a bit of the sweet sauce to give the meat some much needed flavor.

The food at Bar-B-Cutie was very mediocre. I can't say that they match their claim of "World's Best Barbecue". What I ate wasn't "Q" at all. As an alternative to a fast food burger, a Bar-B-Cutie sandwhich would be suitable. However, if you're looking for authentic smoked BBQ, you'd better look elsewhere.